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Wednesday, July 8, 2009

PRECOCIOUS PUBERTY

The nation of United States is baffled from the fact that their girls are hitting puberty or physically maturing earlier,some as young as seven.The situation is like setting the Thames on fire.

In a research of 1,239 girls it was found that about 15% of them have started bosoming at the age of 7,according to an article in Pediatric's.One in 10 white girls,twice as many as in a 1997 study,showed bosom growth by that age,as did 23% of black girls and 15% of Hispanic girls.

Cincinnati Children's Hospital finds 42% of African-American girls have hit puberty by age 8.The study looks at how many 7 and 8-year old girls recently showed signs of puberty and compared the number to similar study from 13 years ago.Over the time period the age girls become physically mature decreased among all races,and even though the percentage of young whote girls entering puberty isn't as high as other races,their numbers doubled.

The median age of bosom development plummeted from 10.9uears to 9.9 in 2006,according to Danish study published in Pediatrics.

The FALLING AGE OF PUBERTY,A 2007 REORT BY Sandra Steingraber commissioned by Breast Cancer Fund,provides a comprehensive look over this issue.Sandra is of opinion that higher body mass-index amd premature births are leading factors,but also suspects the chemical Endocrine(it is a system incharge of body processes that happen slowly,such as cell growth)disruptors may contribute.Endocrine Disruptors are commonly used compounds in household products,such as bottled waters,streams and drinking water whih causes 'hormonal pollution'.These chemicals have been linked to an increasing number of ''intersex'' fish exhibiting physical characteristics of both genders,and have raised questions about potential impact on human health.

Maria Herman-Giddens of University of North-Carolina-Chapel Hills says,''The children are now overweight and the early puberty could be treated to an obesity epidemic''.

The culprits for early-onset maturation are exposure to pesticides used in farms and lawns,flame retardants found in furniture and electronics,and Bisphenol A,or BPA,as estrogen(a group of steroid hormones responsible for the developmentin human beings)like chemicals found in plastic bottles and phthlates(addictives used to make plastic soft and flexible)are some probable causes discussed by Frank Biro,a director of adolescent medicine Cincinnati Children's Hospital and Diana Zukerberg,the Executive director of National Center for Women and Families.

Other researchers have more controversial theories such as the absence of father in many US families and the media sexualization of children.

The young girls are becoming young women which has given birth to negative consequences such as increases risk for breast cancer and endometrical cancer.Girls will develop low self-esteem,eating disorders and depression.The girls physically maturing early are more likely to have early sexual activity.When puberty ends,growth in height also stops because the skeletons mature and bone growth stops at an earlier age than normal,kids with precocious puberty do not achieve their full height potential.The early growth spurt may make them initially tall when compared with their peers,but hey may stop growing too soon and end up at a shorter height than they would have otherwise.

Dealing with puberty is challenging for any teenager,but early puberty presents additional challenges.Drugs have been used to treat the condition since 1993.Lupron,a hormone suppressing drug first approved by the F.D.A for treatment of prostrate cancer,was approved for treating early onset puberty in 1993.But using medication to delay sexual maturation sounds alarm bells for many.Parents in United States should pay more heed towards this issue.